Canon 1DsMkII owners only - question on lost images

[Longwatcher]

This is a curiousity question for 1DsMkII users only please,
I have been reading on Rob Galbraith's forum on the persistant problems with 1DsMkII and how to go about losing images by pressing the display button while the red write light is on. Even more likely apparently if shooting something green like shrubs or grass.

I am one of those that have experienced lost images. However since finding out it only happens if you press the display button while the camera is still writing, I haven't lost a single one. And I have taken about 10,000 images so far since November (Almost all Raw+M2Jpeg)

The link to the thread (it is a long one for that site):
http://www.robgalbraith.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=314730&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

So has any one else with a 1DsMkII (or 1DmkII) experienced this problem?

Just curious as they keep reporting that Canon says there is no problem, which as anyone knows is standard Canon policy until they have a solution.

I don't consider it a serious problem, but was just curious if others on THIS forum have also experienced this problem (or were even aware of it).

Thanks,

[Hatem Eldoronki]

Heard of it, never happened to me, and I've pressed the Display button while the light was on. I shoot RAW only all the time.

[HKFEVER]

Never happen to me.

Which CF card you use?

[metsuyan]

Has definately happened to me.

4g Lexar Compact Flash cards.

Sometimes, if you have taken a series of shots that are being written to the card and you press display the thing will lock up and the red light will be lit indefinately and you have to remove the battery to solve the problem. Unfortunately you lose the the last round of pictures (only) that were being written to the card at the time of the crash.

[HKFEVER]

Try other CF card and see what happen. I try mine, it is fine.

[SecondFocus]

The reports of this happening are building quickly. It has happened to me and there are more reports on SportsShooter. So I suggest that it be taken seriously, there is a problem. It is the MKII series and seems to be with Lexar 2gig 80x cards for the most part. Although this might just be the result of more Lexar cards in the market.

The problem does not seem to be limited to when you are viewing images while the camera is writing.

Lexar is being very helpful in following up but Canon is being very quiet about it. I have read where they are saying there is no problem. Well a lot of people would disagree.

[Longwatcher]

When it happened to me I was using a Lexar 1GB 40x, I lost four images twice.
However, from what I have read
It has happened with microdrives, sandisk U2, Ex, ExIII, 1GB, 2Gb, 4GB, Lexar 40x, 80x, Pro, 1Gb, 2GB, 4GB, and one other card brand I can't remember.
It does seem to happen slightly more frequently with Lexar with WA cards.
And reports are usually CF cards, but have some SD cards as well.

The trick if you want to try it is...
- Take pictures of green grass or shrubs. (Although I got it to happen taking pictures of a colorful painting)
- Set camera for RAW+jpeg (a few have reported with just RAW only, but most say only if doing both and especially jpeg Large)
- Shoot about 4-6 images as fast as you can (continuous mode works best, but is not necessary); even better fill the buffer.
- As you finish taking the pictures, immeadiatly press the display button to review the pictures taken.
If you attempt this at least three times the odds seem to be about 90% that at least one of those attempts will result in a lock up and require either a very long wait or pull the battery.
There is some evidence that slower CF cards are less susceptable to this then faster ones for some reason. Note though that faster cards clear the buffer faster so the little red light goes out faster making this less of a problem in the first place.

Best guess from those on that forum and it makes sense to me is that the processor does not have enough capacity to do both operations at once.

Rough translation though, if you don't try to review while the camera is writing to the card this problem will never crop up.

At least I know it is not just that forum.
Thanks,

[Hatem Eldoronki]

OK Longwatcher.
I just did it, and lost all but the first (?) image in the series of bursts. I had the ISO at 3200, and tried this on a Sandisk 1GB card (the slow one), and also on an IBM 1GB microdrive. I pointed the camera on a green car in the car garage at work, and as soon as I pressed 'display' with the red light on, the screen displayed "Busy", then just turned white with some horizontal lines and faded away.
I waited a bit, turned the camera off, and turned off the review feature in the menu. Tested this again, and DID NOT PRESS display until the red light was out. All images were recoreded this time..

*EDIT* I had the camera on RAW+L, ISO 3200, f1.4, Av mode, continuous drive, AI Servo, Evaluative metering.

[Longwatcher]

Got to love consistency,

I should point out I didn't recommend trying it, only curious if you had experienced it.

BTW: As far as I have been able to determine ISO has had little effect (on whether t occurs or not) other then slowing down the processing time so taking longer to write.

This is a problem Canon should fix, but I can probably live with if they can't. Still the best digital 35mm format camera in the world, even if it does hiccup occasionally.

The good news is it will Pavlov train you not to chimp until it stops writing the image.
8) 8) 8) :) 8)

[primoz]

I was never shooting with 1dsmk2 (actually I never even saw it in real life) but I have no problems with 1dmk2. But I never use any cards bigger then 1GB and I never shoot in raw (agency I work for wants jpeg only). On other hand friend of mine has bunch of problems with missing photos with his 1dmk2 and 2gb cards. And from that what I know, always when he's shooting in raw+jpeg and never when shooting in jpeg only.
As I read on Galbraith and on Sportsshooters obviously this is not so isolated problem but quite wide spread one.

[Hatem Eldoronki]

Got to love consistency,

I should point out I didn't recommend trying it, only curious if you had experienced it.



Oh..my bad. :lol::lol:
I know you were not, but I was curious too..